


Rockstar

by Emony



Category: E.R.
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-23
Updated: 2010-01-23
Packaged: 2017-10-06 14:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emony/pseuds/Emony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: The front man of multi award winning rock band No Mercy is hurt in an explosion outside a gig in Chicago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rockstar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shadow_diva (Ash)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=shadow_diva+%28Ash%29).



> First posted 24 February 2008

_"We're live outside Cook County General in Chicago where Ray Barnett was admitted at 3.07 this morning. The star, best known as the front man for No Mercy, was caught in an explosion when leaving his latest sold out gig. There isn't much news coming out of the hospital or his management as of now, but we know for sure that it won't have been a 'tequila sunrise' for Barnett this morning..."_

***

"Multiple trauma on its way in guys, an explosion of some sort - someone call a surgical consult down," Pratt shouted through the almost empty ER, glad that the night had been slow so far, "we're taking 2 major and 6 minor, Mercy's got the rest!"

"Come on, we can take more than that, Pratt," Abby said as she reached for the phone at admit, "it's practically a ghost town."

"Mercy's closer and busy - we've got what they couldn't take," he left to rouse the interns and Morris from the various on call rooms as the nurses on duty rushed to set up the trauma rooms.

***

The left side of his body hurt like hell. And that was about all he could think about. That and the blood. And the flames. And the sirens.

"Sir?"

Someone was trying to talk to him.

"Sir?" There was a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir? Can you hear me? Can you tell me your name?"

He tried to laugh and ended up groaning in pain, "You mean you don't know it?"

He opened his eyes and the hand and voice morphed into a paramedic shining a light in his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Sure I do, sir, but do you?"

By now he'd learnt not to laugh... even if he wanted to.

"Ray, Ray Barnett. It's January 14th and Bush Junior is _still_ president."

"That's great, sir, don't try to move. We'll have you in the bus as soon as we can."

"You think I actually want to move? I'd laugh but it'd hurt."

He shut his eyes to wait.

Barely a moment later the noise crashed into him and somehow he was on something moving.

"There you are. We've got you at County-"

"Can't be too bad, Mercy was nearer," he mumbled, not wanting to open his eyes again.

He barely concentrated as the paramedics launched into a rapid-fire conversation with someone in the hospital.

Finally he came to a stop and there were hands all over him, he must have moaned at the pain as a sweet voice broke in,

"Just hold on, sir, we have to get you out of these clothes."

"All the girls say that."

"Sure they do, sir."

He opened his eyes to see a pretty looking blonde looking down at him trying not to laugh.

"Call me Ray, I'm no sir," he said as the doors at the end of the room crashed open.

"Hello, Ray, I'm Dr Pratt," the guy in the white coat said, moving to look him over.

"Hey."

"How you doing, man?" the Pratt asked as he listened to the blonde running through a whole bunch of half forgotten terminology that made him wish he'd kept up to date.

"Oh, just fan-bloody-tastic."

The guy laughed as started doing his own checks of Ray's broken body, "You sound just like a friend of mine."

"She British?"

"How'd you know she was a she?"

"Lucky guess. Mine was," he said between moans of pain.

"The painkiller Sam gave you should be kicking in soon."

The doors burst open again,

"You guys need anything?" the ginger guy asked, almost bursting with excitement, "Hey, Archie Morris, great to meet you!"

"Leave the poor man alone, Morris," came a voice from behind Morris.

"Hey, Neela!"

She rounded the gaping doctor before her and marched up to the table. He could see her worry through her bright smile.

"Ray."

"How's your liver?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Mr Rockstar?"

"Nah, you're the one who had the surgery," he said remembering his total fear when he'd heard about the trampling at the rally she'd gotten caught up in on her way to work one morning.

As she moved around the table, listening to Sam and Pratt update her on his condition, she brushed her hand down his side.

"Always knew I'd get your hands on me," he joked as he smirked at her.

"Didn't think you'd go to measures this desperate," she joked back as she probed his wound.

"You two know each other?" Morris asked in awe as he finally managed to stop gaping.

***

_Ray rocked back on his chair, tilting his head to look at his drummer, watching as he ranted all the while pacing the floor of the studio in front of him._

"He's just not getting it, he'll find the passion and not the rock, or the rock but not the passion - we need someone else."

"Sure."

"Sure?" Nick looked up in shock.

"What? You didn't think I noticed?"

"Well, it's not like you can find too many viola players willing to do that."

"Uh..." Nick looked guilty.

"What did you do?"

"Yeah, man, what did you do?" Bret asked from his spot sprawled on the carpet.

"You remember my cousin that went to Yale?"

"Sure... Nicole, right?"

"Yeah - well she had this friend who played."

"And? Just 'cause this friend played some back in college doesn't mean-"

"Ah, but," Nick broke in, "she was pretty great and she's in town, interning over at County, paying for her brother to go to college... low on money..."

"And you think she'll do it?"

"She'll be here in ten."

"Nick!"

"What?" Nick asked innocently, "She can do her thing, you two can talk medical shit and we'll get this thing done, make it real big on 'Tequila Sunrise'."

"Fine. Whatever. It's on you if she's awful."

She wasn't. She was gorgeous, funny, smart - could play too. She just wouldn't give him the time of day in the way that he wanted her to.

They finally hit the big time (her backing track was what made it for them) and he bought the cars, the house in LA, the apartment in New York (and a house in Chicago - the only one he called home), he had the girls, the booze and the music. He put as many tour dates in Chicago as he could.

He wondered if he'd stayed on past the first year of medical school, gone the way of the doctor instead of the rockstar, if then she would have considered it. Sure she'd had that Gallant thing (a wedding and a funeral) and the Gates thing (he was pretty sure that was no more to her than any of his girls were to him)...

***

"Ray?" Neela, sounding worried.

"Hmm? Sure... we go way back, man."

"Don't do that to me, Ray!" Neela shouted at him, "You need to stay awake, even if you can't be arsed to listen to the fanboy over there, you need to stay awake!"

"Whatever you say, babe."

He watched as Morris mouthed 'babe?' in puzzlement.

"Ray..." she said, a warning tone in her voice.

"I don't mind if they know about us, honey," he said in a soppy sweet tone she'd just hate.

"Ray! Stop kidding around."

"Aw, come on Neela, give the guy who was just in an explosion a break," he wheedled, a puppy dog pout on his bruised face.

She sighed, rolled her eyes then hit doctor mode, shouting at Pratt and Morris about surgery.

The next time he woke up he was in a completely different room, the pain was... different, and Neela was sat in a chair by the bed, her head by his hand and snoring softly.

He wiggled his fingers and she jumped suddenly into action - he wondered if he would have been able to do that if he'd done the doctor thing - asleep one minute, total doctor control the next.

"Ray! Thank God, you're awake."

"H-how-" he couldn't get any further, his mouth was so dry.

"How long?" he nodded as she reached for a cup with a straw, bending the plastic to his mouth.

"Three days. The surgery went well, no complications, we patched everything up - you just didn't want to wake up."

Throat finally wet enough to speak, he moved away so she would take the water back.

"Well, if it gets you sitting by my bedside..."

She rolled her eyes and then did something she'd never done before. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't do that to me again, Ray."

"Hey, how do you think I felt," he said, and reached to hold her hand, "I couldn't even get to the city let alone visit when you were in here."

***

_"No Mercy front man Ray Barnett was released from hospital today, three weeks after the explosion that claimed the lives of two of his fans and injured thirteen others. Barnett's people say that he still has a way to go in his recovery but they should be picking up the tour some time next year. For now he'll be recouping in his Chicago home..."_

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by 'Rockstar' from Nickelback.


End file.
